State’s Brewery Trail gets its own app

The Connecticut Brewery Trail and an associated app are aiming to put the state's breweries on the map.

The legislature established the Brewery Trail and on Tuesday, during the state's Beer Week, got a look at the app.

The app is "an indication, I think, that the industry is really growing throughout the state," said state Sen. Andrew Maynard, D-Stonington.

Maynard was there with Eric A. Filardi, president of New London-based F&F Distributors, which has been in business for 64 years.

"The industry attracts young talent, young kids coming to the area and wanting to settle here, which is what I think the state sorely needs," Filardi said.

Beer'd Brewing in Stonington and Cottrell Brewing in Pawcatuck are two of the 18 breweries on the free mobile app called "Beerdog." The user would take a photograph of a beer and Beerdog would "fetch" all the details about the beer, including where it can be purchased, according to a press release.

"It's our desire to lay the groundwork for a robust app that connects users to information about multiple destinations across the state, thus providing convenience to Connecticut visitors," said Kevin Bradshaw, founder and CEO of Connecticut-based beerdog.com.

Besides the app, some of the Beer Week activities for distributors include asking restaurants to carry local beers on their five or six taps for a night or two, Filardi said. His company will also be asking restaurants to pair local beers with specific menus, he said.

"We call (local beers) the golden boxes," Filardi said. "They are low volume but high dollar. They are high quality so people will go out there and they are not scared to spend $10, $12 or $15 for a 6-pack."

The local brewery industry has created 430 jobs and 18 establishments, thus far, according to the press release. Another 10 establishments are expected in the near future, said Jason McClellan, owner of Olde Burnside Brewing Company in East Hartford.